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Behind the Song: Carrie Underwood’s ‘Two Black Cadillacs’

“It’s drama, and it’s dark,” said Carrie Underwood about “Two Black Cadillacs,” her ACM Award-nominated hit single. And, she added, “you have to listen to the whole thing,” because you’ll be “sucked in.”

Written by Underwood, Hillary Lindsey and Josh Kear, “Two Black Cadillacs” tells the story of two women who, when they realize they are both dating the same guy, set aside their differences and decide to take care of things together. And by take care of things, we mean … they kill him.

“Turns out he been lying to both of them for oh so long,” Underwood sings. “They decided then he’d never get away with doing this to them/Two black Cadillacs waiting for the right time.”

“It was so much fun to write and just be in that room,” said Underwood, “and we didn’t really know what to expect or where we were headed or what we would end up with.”

But, as she said, “it’s just drama. It’s drama, and it’s dark, but it’s also, you have to listen to the whole thing. You’re sucked in, from the beginning, from the music, and it’s just, you know somethin’s gonna happen.”

And then, she continued, “by the end of it, it’s like, ‘Oh, my gosh, he’s gone, and they don’t even care!’ And it’s good. It’s heavy!”

“Two Black Cadillacs” appeared on Underwood’s 2012 album Blown Away, and last March it landed at No. 1 on the Mediabase country singles chart. A video for the song added even more visual drama to the already vibrant lyrics — the funeral, the chase down a dark alley and especially the final scene, where the two women ride away in the back seat of a Cadillac that, Christine style, has no driver.

“The story was just so juicy,” Underwood told CBS Detroit’s WYCD (a Radio.com station). “It’s such a visual song, you can see it all playing out in your head when you’re listening.”

Directed by veteran videomaker Paul R. Brown, it’s now been nominated for Video of the Year at Sunday’s Academy of Country Music Awards.

“Only Carrie really knows what draws her toward these songs,” songwriter Josh Kear told Radio.com. “I can’t say what she finds interesting in some of these darker themes, but it appears her audience enjoys it when she gravitates towards dramatic story lines.”